The present invention relates to a method of utilizing measured pressures from pressure sensing ports on an air vehicle for obtaining accurate indications of static pressure, pitot pressure, and angle of attack at very high angles of attack encountered in high performance air vehicles.
In the past, the problems of obtaining accurate measurements from air data sensors or probes during very high angles of attack have been recognized, and different approaches have been used for obtaining correction factors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,169 provides for inverting the ratio of pressure differentials from sensing ports at high angles of attack, generally above 450.degree.. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,169 the normal angle of attack ratio (P.sub.1 -P.sub.2)/q.sub.cm) is inverted to be q.sub.cm /(P.sub.1 -P.sub.2) when the denominator q.sub.cm approaches zero.
Other methods have been used, such as an iterative calculation of measured pressures which requires substantial computer capacity for carrying out accurate analysis of the measured pressures.